Interview Series Chef Extraordinaire - Thiery Blouet
Chef Thiery Blouet is a true artist of International gourmet cuisine. His culinary works are sensual compositions with colors that enliven the visual sense in harmony with tempting aromas, subtle textures that are perceived by palates, where perfect flavors are concentrated. Thiery is the owner of Cafe d'es Artistes in Puerto Vallarta and in San José del Cabo in Baja. He is a proud member of the French Culinary Academy and is an International reference for the signature cuisine of new generations.
by Mayté Rodríguez Cedillo and Fernando Favela · Chef Extraordinaire · BajaTraveler.com
Your cuisine feels deeply personal. If you had to distill your culinary identity into one essential idea, what would it be—and how has it evolved over time?
My cuisine is my passion based on my two cultures; the French one and the Mexican one . It is an evolution over the years based on lived experiences from my own evolution, great products and the inspiration that comes from within.
Baja California offers a striking sense of place. How do you translate the landscape—sea, desert, and vineyard—into a coherent culinary language?
Baja California is the heaven for making great food. We have everything imaginable available to us – in a Mediterranean style, which is my favorite.
Every great chef develops an almost obsessive relationship with certain ingredients. Which ones define your kitchen, and why are they indispensable?
I love tomatoes! All kinds of tomatoes – ripe, tasty, cut from the plant and ready to eat. Add virgin olive oil and a touch of tasty fleur de sel salt. These are part of my favorites ingredients – as well as fresh products from the sea.
I’m more intuitive but I also like to learn and practice new techniques . Both need to go together. But if there’s no intuition there is no creativity. Intuition makes the difference between good and extraordinary.
We often create wine pairing dinners and always pair with wines from Baja. We love the fact that these wines are nearby.
From your perspective, how is Valle de Guadalupe positioned today within the international food and wine landscape?
Valle de Guadalupe is very well positioned. Bringing in grapes from northern areas such as Ojos Negros and San Vicente gives them an opportunity to create great wines. They need to maintain the wine spirit they’re known for and not focus so much on the tourism.
Luxury dinning is not only about having a great dinner – it’s about the experience, the menu with fresh and interesting ingredients. All well balanced with acidity, vegetables, interesting main dishes and wine pairing. The pairing doesn’t have to be extensive, tasting four wines should be the maximum. Unless of course, you’re having eight courses, then eight wine tastings would be ok. Service is very important as well as the atmosphere – the music either classical or opera. You also want to smell good basil, herbs in the air and the lighting is very important too – it should be very soft and harmonious.
Sustainability is often discussed, but rarely understood in depth. What meaningful practices—often unseen by the guest—truly shape your approach?
In today’s world, sustaintability is very important. We have to buy fresh products on a daily basis from local producers – with respect. And we must use the product completely. The loss of product in hotels and many restaurants is huge – this could be as much as 30 % and it all goes to the garbage. We have to serve good water that doesn’t come on plastic bottles – we have to stop using plastic. At my restaurants, we have a machine to do our mineral water and we recycle glass.
Which global influences have shaped your vision, and how do you reinterpret them while preserving a strong sense of place?
My vision has been shaped by the French global influence — the French techniques. I have also learned to respect products such as the Japanese culture does. Mexico’s culture has also been a large influence to me with the fabulous tastes of products found all across Mexico.
Beyond trends, what kind of legacy do you hope to build—and how do you envision the future of Baja’s cuisine on the global stage?
My legacy is keep going. Continue teaching new generations what we’ve learned and discovered over the years. It’s also very important to make new generations understand how to care of the local and fantastic products we have – and not loose this train of though over the years
BajaTraveler® Signature Closing
1. A wine that never fails to move you (red, white, or sparkling)
Red
2. One Baja ingredient you can’t live without
Oysters
3. A restaurant anywhere in the world that recently inspired you
In Baja – El Animalon, in France – Pierre Gagnaire
4. Sea or land—where do you find more inspiration?
Sea
5. A perfect pairing—simple, yet unforgettable
Oysters – Champagne
6. A guilty pleasure
Fois Gras – any style
7. The first dish or memory that defined your palate
Coq au Vin
8. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be…
Landscape designer, Architect, Interior designer
9. A culinary destination you consider essential today
Mexico and Tuscany
10. In one word: what is Baja to you?
FLAVOR